Category: Golden State Warriors

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Skaggs’ death a tragedy, waiting for autopsy results; Nets aren’t just banking on KD when he gets back

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Photo credit: @KleinschmidtJD

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died on Monday at a Texas hotel. Amaury had a chance to work with and interview Skaggs when Amaury was doing Spanish play-by-play on Angels TV. He was a good kid and his mother, although her last name wasn’t Spanish, she was Mexican American.

He spoke Spanish. His dad’s last name was Skaggs. He was 27 years old. Amaury had a chance to speak with him during his time broadcasting Angels baseball. He was a nice young man always available to speak to with the media.

The Southland Police said they do not suspect foul play and it has not been determined if Skaggs passed away due to natural causes. Officers found Skaggs unresponsive at the hotel and was deceased at the scene.

Amaury also talks about how the moves at the Golden State Warriors and how the Kevin Durant move will impact the team as he moves to the Brooklyn Nets and Andre Iguodala was rumored to go to the Memphis Grizzlies so Golden State can shed that salary. Iguodala could end up at the Lakers. DeAngelo Russell comes to the Warriors from the Nets and will probably be the point guard on the second unit.

Amaury is the Oakland A’s Spanish play-by-play radio talent on KIQI 1010 San Francisco and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kevin Durant signs four-year $164 million deal to play with the Brooklyn Nets

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file photo from sfgate.com: Former Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant #35 gets help off the floor in his last hurrah for Golden State with the injured Achilles tendon in the first half of game 5 against the Toronto Raptors.

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Golden State Warriors lost a key player to free agency on Sunday. Superstar forward Kevin Durant decided to leave the Warriors, a team that he won two championships with, to play for the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets were active Sunday signing point guard Kyrie Irving and center DeAndre Jordan. They will have to wait a year for Durant to play for them as he will be recovering from an Achilles tendon injury that will sideline him for the entire 2019-2020 season.

The big question is, why did Durant decide to leave the Warriors. Golden State offered him a five-year deal worth $ 221 Million. The answer has to be that he was unhappy here with the Warriors. He had a massive dustup with Draymond Green early in the season. The two players didn’t speak for a while, and that may have been a factor even though Green apologized to Durant. Another factor may have been the injury that he sustained in Game Five of the NBA Finals with Toronto. Durant had suffered a calf injury in the series with the Houston Rockets. The team may have asked him to return to action before that injury was healed. No one knows what the Warriors’ doctors told him about the possibility that he might make it worse if he played.

The Warriors did agree to terms with a five -year $190 million contract with Klay Thompson. Klay will be out for at least nine months as he recovers from surgery to fix a torn ACL in his left knee. The Warriors want to re-sign Kevon Looney.  Looney is being courted by the Houston Rockets. Looney proved his worth as he played inspired basketball in the Finals after suffering an injury to his collarbone. The Warriors may try to get DeMarcus Cousins back. The most the can offer Cousins is about 6.3 million. Cousins could help fill the gap left by Durant’s departure. Cousins may stay to get a better deal a year from now. Shaun Livingston may retire, and that is another hole that the W’s will have to fill.

The Warriors should be competitive next year with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala still on the roster. Players such as Damian Jones, Jordan Bell, Alonzo McKinnie, and Quinn Cook will have to step up if the Warriors are to be successful next season. The fans are hoping the GM Bob Myers might have something rolled up in his sleeves to help make the team better. It will be a very different season for the Warriors as they start to play next year at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

Raptors take down the Warriors 114-110 to win their first NBA Championship

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Photo credit: @Raptors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors lost a thriller to the Toronto Raptors 114-110 in Game 6 at Oracle Arena Thursday night.

The Warriors, trying to overcome adversity with the loss of Kevin Durant in Game 5, and Klay Thompson late in the third quarter of Game 6, gave it their all, but it was not quite enough.

The Warriors showed no quit. They played with the hearts of the champions that they are. They played with courage. They did not have a full roster throughout the Finals. They lost DeMarcus Cousins in the first round against the Clippers. Cousins found his way back and played in five of the six games in the Finals. They lost Kevin Durant in Game 5 of the second round series with the Houston Rockets. They shocked the NBA by beating the Rockets in Game 6. They lost Klay Thompson in Game 2 with a strained hamstring. He missed his first game ever in the playoff. Thompson was injured late in the third quarter after he was fouled. Thompson made the two free throws and then went to the locker room. He did not return to the game. Kevon Looney suffered a shoulder injury, and he, too, missed a game. Looney should everyone what he is made of. He came back to play and played well. He had to leave Game 5 as he experienced severe pain in the injured area. He was on the floor on Thursday night.

The Raptors won a very hard-fought series. They are the champions of the NBA for the first time in their history. The Raptors, coached by first-year head coach Nick Nurse, won the Larry O’Brien Trophy 4-2. The Raptors trade with the San Antonio Spurs brought them two key players, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, who arrived to Toronto in exchange for DeMar DeRozan. How good was Leonard? Leonard, who was Defensive Player of the Year in 2016, showed that he was an excellent offensive player as well. Leonard was awarded the Bill Russell Trophy for being the Finals MVP.

The Warriors had to figure out a way to stop the Raptors’ big men. The Warriors had trouble all series with Pascal Siakam, Serge, Ibaka, and Marc Gasol. The Raptors’ Fred VanVleet, coming off the bench, showed that he was an excellent sixth man, and he was called upon to guard Steph Curry. The Raptors’ plan for Thursday night’s game was to double team Curry every time he handled the ball. Klay Thompson had the hot hand in the first half as he put 18 on the board.

The first 24 minutes of the game was extremely competitive. The Raptors’ Kyle Lowry was hot at the start of the game. Lowry knocked down 15 in the quarter. The Raptors led 19-12 about midway through the first quarter. The Warriors knew what was at stake and met the challenge. They trailed by one 33-32 at the end of the first period. The second period was nip and tuck all the way to the end of the half. There were 14 lead changes in the first half. Toronto led 60-57 at the intermission.

It was more of the same in the third quarter. The lead changed hands several times. The Warriors were leading 83-80 when Klay Thompson was fouled going in for a layup. Thompson hit the floor, grasping his left leg as he was in a lot of pain. He headed to the locker room. Someone reminded the Warriors that if he could not make the free throws, he could not return to the game. Thompson returned and sank the two free throw to give the Warriors the lead 85-80. After making the two free throw, Thompson went to the locker room. He did not return and was seen leaving the arena on crutches. The third quarter ended with the Warriors nursing a two-point lead 88-86.

In the fourth quarter, with Klay Thompson out of the game and Steph Curry on the bench, Toronto regained the lead 94-93. Curry came back in with about nine minutes left to play. Curry hit a three to put the Warriors ahead 99-96. The teams tied at 99 and at 101. Toronto went on a 7-1 run to lead 108-102. Draymond Green made a three and DeMarcus Cousins put in a layup to close to 109-108 Each team scored two to make it 110-108 with 18.5 seconds left to play. The Warriors trailed by just one 111-110 with 18.5 seconds left. The Warriors’ defense stiffened, and the Raptors turned the ball over with 9.5 seconds left. The Raptors’ defense smothered the Warriors, and Green called for a timeout. The problem was that the Warriors were out of timeouts and they were charged with a technical foul and loss of possession. The Raptors made the free throw. With 0.9 seconds on the clock, the Raptors inbounded the ball. Kawhi Leonard was fouled and made both free throws. The Raptors won 114-110 and dethroned the Warriors as NBA champions.

Game Notes: For those that care, here are the stats–Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 30, Curry had 21, Andre Iguodala 22, Cousins, 12. Draymond Green had a triple-double with 11 points, 19 rebounds, and 13 assists.

The Raptors were led by Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry, who both tallied 26. Kawhi Leonard and Fred VanVleet had 22. Van Vleet knocked down 12 points in the fourth quarter. Serge Ibaka had 15.

The Warriors played their final game at Oracle Arena. Oracle has been their home for 47 years. They will be playing at the Chase Center in San Francisco when the 2019-20 season starts in October.

The Warriors will have to make decisions regarding several players. Will they bring back DeMarcus Cousins and Kevon Looney? Will they give Klay Thompson a max contract? Kevin Durant will not play next season due to his Achilles tendon injury. Durant can opt to stay a Warrior next year even if he doesn’t play. Other teams in the NBA might be willing to offer him a four-year max contract knowing that he won’t play next season. Will Shaun Livingston retire? How will they improve the bench? Who will they get in the draft? Lots of decisions and just about three months before the players come back to start practice in late September or early October.

I know the players feel they swallowed a bitter pill. They will need to take a couple days off to erase the bitterness. They know they have the best fans in the NBA that will support them as they resume their quest for another championship next year.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Blues-Bruins involved in hard-fought finals; Warriors cry for Durant; plus more

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Photo credit: @ChicagoSports

On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

#1 The St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins played a long hard fought NHL Finals that went seven games in a back-and-forth series.

#2 How much of the injuries to the Golden State Warriors Kevon Looney, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant played in their struggle to win games in the finals?

#3 Talk about Warriors team president Bob Meyers, who cried after game five when Durant went down with the Achilles injury. Meyers taking much of the responsibility for the decision on putting Durant back in now lost for at least a year.

#4 The New England Patriots are filing tampering charges against the Houston Texans for trying to talk to the Patriots Director of Player personnel Nick Caserio. The Texans general manager Brian Gaine attended a post Super Bowl ring celebration at Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s house as did Caserio. Some conversation or interest of Caserio took place and hence the tampering suit.

#5 When you have mob names like the Surgeon (Louis Alfredo Rivas Clase) and a woman named the Venezuelan or Red, these are just two of the names that help coordinate the shooting of former Red Sox star David Ortiz in the Dominican Republic. It was also reported that two other men were involved and a total of six people were involved in the planning of the shooting of Ortiz.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: World Cup–US Women no match for Thailand in 13-0 blowout; Kings to host Summer League at Golden 1; plus more

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Photo credit: @BostonGlobe

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 In the World Cup, US Women downed Thailand 13-0, Alex Morgan scored five goals and there was no mercy rule as the US Women kept pouring it on in Reims, France. The US took it to Thailand right from the kickoff.

#2 The win by the US topped the old record when Germany took it to Argentina in an 11-0 win in the 2007 World Cup.

#3 The Sacramento Kings will be hosting a California Classic Summer League at Golden 1 Center from July 1st through 3rd. Fans will get to take a look at the following teams: the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.

#4 With the Summer League coming up, where does Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton stand? He has been accused of sexual assault. His accuser is also holding the Warriors and Lakers legally responsible for the attacks. Is the Luke Walton case going to be a distraction or can Luke guide the Kings and get past it?

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes won a friendly 4-3 over Sacramento Republic FC on Tuesday night at Avaya Stadium. Earthquakes star Chris Wondolowski said that the team is in a zone a winning mental state right now, and even though it was like a preseason game, the Quakes are pushing to win and won’t take any prisoners right now.

#6 Former San Francisco Giants right fielder Hunter Pence hit another one off the fence for the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night against the Red Sox. Pence chalked up his 14th home run for an inside-the-park home run against the Boston Red Sox. Pence has been in the zone this season. He’s also got the Rangers clubhouse pretty loose right now.

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Warriors squeak by to live another day as Durant leaves arena on crutches

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Photo credit: @NBCS

Warriors On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 The Warriors and Raptors played to a one-point contest 106-105 with the Warriors keeping themselves alive in the Finals trailing Toronto 3-2 in the series and they did it without Kevin Durant towards the end of the game.

#2 An unlucky shot by the Raptors’ Kyle Lowry that didn’t go in ended up forcing a Game 6 and a possible elimination game for Toronto.

#3 But it was a big offensive night for the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, who led Golden State with 31 points, followed by splash brother Klay Thompson, who finished with 26.

#4 The big question is will Durant be able to return for Game 6 and how badly do the Warriors need him back in the lineup considering risking more damage to his already injured calf?

#5 So Game 6 will definitely wind up being the last home game ever for the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena, a building they played in since 1966.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Spanish play-by-play radio talent for the Oakland A’s and does News and Commentary each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors win a thriller 106-105, stay alive to fight another day

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Photo credit: @BleacherReport

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, with their backs to the wall, found a way to defeat the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena 106-105 on Monday night. They were buoyed by the return of Kevin Durant to the lineup. Durant’s presence gave Steph Curry and Klay Thompson the ability to get open and knock down three-point shots. Misfortune struck in the second quarter when Durant re-injured his right leg. The Warriors had to figure out another option. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr inserted DeMarcus Cousins into the game. Cousins played well and helped the Warriors to the thrilling victory.

Kevin Durant started the game and knocked won 11 points in the first quarter. His presence in the lineup allowed Steph Curry and Klay Thompson to get good looks and they responded by connecting on several three-point shots. The Warriors finished the first quarter leading 34-28.

The Warriors and Raptors each scored 28 points in the second quarter. The Warriors finished the first 24 minutes of the game still ahead by six 62-56. Unfortunately, Kevin Durant reinjured his right calf injury and had to leave the game. Durant will have an MRI performed on his leg Tuesday. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr decided to insert DeMarcus Cousins into the lineup. Cousins, who played poorly in Games 3 and 4, played his heart out and really helped to make up for the loss of Durant. Cousins knocked down nine points in the second quarter. Curry led the Warriors with 23 and Klay had 12.

The Warriors played inspired basketball in the third quarter. The Warriors 77-63 when Toronto went on a 10-0 run to make it a four-point game 77-73. Klay hit a three and Cousins had two big buckets, and the Warriors finished the quarter leading  84-78.

The Warriors could not let the Raptors come back and grab the lead. If the Warriors failed to hold the lead, their season was over. Toronto, with the crowd urging them on, came back and took the lead 96-95 when Kawhi Leonard connected on a three. Toronto hit a bucket, and the Warriors trailed 98-95. Draymond Green put two on the board and the Warriors now trailed by one. Leonard hit a three and a two-pointer to put the Raptors in the driver’s seat 103-97. The Splash Brothers showed the world what they are still champions. Klay Thompson made a three and Steph Curry made a three to tie the game at 103. The Warriors stopped the Raptors, and Thompson put the icing on the cake when he hit another three to put the Warriors ahead 106-103 with 56 seconds left in the game. The Raptors scored two more points to make it 106-105. The Raptors got the ball back with 13.7 seconds left to play. The Warriors’ defense did not allow them to get a shot off until the last second left. The ball hit the side of the backboard, and the Warriors left the court with a thrilling win.

Game Notes: The Warriors will meet the Raptors at Oracle Arena Thursday night. The Warriors still have their backs against the wall. They need a win to force the series back to Toronto for Game 7. The Warriors probably will not have Durant available. Durant left the arena in Toronto with a boot on his right foot and was using crutches to walk. Kevon Looney also left the game with an injury. Looney was in a lot of pain as his injured right shoulder was bothering him quite a bit. He seemed to grimace in pain almost every time he was on the floor.

Curry led the Warriors with 31 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. He made five three-point shots. Klay Thompson had 26. Klay knocked down 7 threes. Cousins finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Draymond Green almost had a triple-double. He had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Durant had 11. The Warriors shot 46.3% from the floor. They were 20-for-42 from the three-point range.

Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard paced the Raptors with 26 points and 12 boards. Kyle Lowry had 18, Marc Gasol, 17, Serge Ibaka 15, Pascal Siakam 12, and Fred VanVleet 11. The Raptors shot 44.7% from the floor. They were 8-for 32 from downtown. The Raptors were 21-for 27 from the charity stripe. The Warriors were 10-for 14.

Up Next: The Warriors know their work is cut out for them Thursday night. This team has players that never quit. They have the hearts of champions. It will be the last game ever played at Oracle Arena Thursday night. Game time will be at 6 pm.

Warriors fall to the Raptors 105-92, now on the brink of elimination

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors were hoping to even the series against the Toronto Raptors Friday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors had two things going for them. Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney, who were both injured in Game 2 of the series, were cleared to play. The second factor was the crowd at Oracle. The fans were behind the team for the entire game, and the noise level was unbelievable.

The Raptors’ game plan was to double team Curry every time he touched the ball and not let him make three-point shots. The Warriors needed Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins, and Andre Iguodala to help out putting points on the board. The Warriors knew that if they were going to win, they would have to shut down the Toronto offense.

The Warriors won the first half 46-42. It was a defensive struggle for the entire 24 minutes of action. Both teams didn’t shoot well at the start of the game. The Warriors defense was terrific. Toronto’s three-point shooter, Danny Green, was held to zero points for the first 24 minutes. They held Pascal Siakam to six. Kawhi Leonard scored 14 to keep Toronto close. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 14 points. The Raptors held Curry to just 8. Kevon Looney was terrific. Everyone thought he was out for the rest of the series. He implored the doctors to check him, and they cleared him to play. Kevon responded with 8 big points. Toronto knew if they could stay within 5 points of the lead at halftime, they had a chance to win.

The Raptors took it to the Warriors in the third quarter. They made five threes, and Leonard knocked 17 points to propel Toronto to a 79-67 advantage at the end of three quarters.

The Warriors knew that it would be difficult to overcome a twelve -point lead in the final 12 minutes of play. They tried, but Toronto answered every Warrior bucket with a bucket of their own. They continued to pressure Curry, and as much as he wished, he could not bring the Warriors back. The Warriors fell to Toronto 105-92 and now trail the series 3-1. The next game will be played in Toronto Monday night.

Game Notes: The Raptors won the game on the strength of their third-period outburst. They connected on eight three in the second half. The Warriors made six. The Raptors had 24 shots from the free throw line and made 23. The Warriors made 14 in 21 tries. On defense, the Raptors had 12 steals and four blocked shots. The Warriors did a poor job of handling the ball. They turned the ball over 17 times. The Raptors committed nine.

Klay led the Warriors with 28. Steph had 27. Draymond Green and Kevon Looney were the only other Warriors in double figures. They each scored 10. Cousins had six, and Iguodala had three. The Warrior bench, other than Looney, added eight.

Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard led his team with 36 points and 12 rebounds. Leonard knocked down five threes. Serge Ibaka had 20, and Pascal Siakam added 19. Kyle Lowry scored 10, and Fred VanVleet had eight. VanVleet, who hounded Curry all night long, left the game with a cut under his right eye. He went to the locker room, and the wound was closed with seven stitches.

The Warriors’ Kevin Durant was not cleared to play again. The doctors would not let him practice, and it is becoming apparent that Durant may not play at all in the series.

If the Warriors lose Monday night, they will no longer play another game at Oracle Arena. The team moves to the Chase Center in San Francisco for the 2019-2020 season.

The last team to come back from a 3-1 deficit and to win on the home team’s court was the Cleveland Cavaliers. They did it to win the 2016 NBA Championship over the Warriors.

Short-handed Warriors’ effort not good enough, fall to Raptors 123-109

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Photo credit: @Raptors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, without Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Kevon Looney, fought a brave, but losing battle against the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.  The Warriors held the lead just once in the entire contest. They led 5-4 early in the first quarter. Toronto took the lead 6-5 and never trailed the rest of the way.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had to juggle his lineup. He had the veteran, Shaun Livingston, start in place of the injured Klay Thompson. DeMarcus Cousins started for the second game in a row. The Warriors needed Cousins to put a lot of points on the board. Cousins tallied just four points as the Raptors’ Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, and Pascal Siakam manhandled Cousins.

Steph Curry did everything he could to keep his team in the game. Curry ended the night with 47 points. He connected on six threes to keep his team close. Draymond Green with 17 and Andre Iguodala with 11 were the only other Warriors in double figures.

The Raptors had six players in double figures. They also were connecting on three-point shots. Kawhi Leonard led Toronto with 30 points. Danny Green, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet killed the Warriors as they made 6, 5, and 3, respectively.

The Raptors led 36-29 after the first quarter. They finished the first half leading 60-52. Curry led the Warriors with 25. No other Warrior player was in double figures. The Raptors scored the first six points in the third quarter and the Warriors, as hard as they tried, could not catch up. Late in the third quarter, the Raptors went on an 8-0 run, and they finished the period leading 96-83. It was more of the same in the fourth quarter. They could not get buckets when they needed them. They had shots blocked by Serge Ibaka and Toronto’s defense. The Warriors, without the firepower of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, could not catch up. The Raptors double-teamed Curry every time he handled the ball. The Warriors were forced to take bad shots. The Raptors won 123-109 to take a 2-3 series lead.

Game Notes: The Raptors shot 52.4% from the floor and held the Warriors to 39.6%. The Raptors were 17 for 39 from 3-point range. The Warriors were 12 for 36. The Raptors made five more threes than the W’s, and that was the difference in the game.

Up Next: Game 4 of the best-of-seven series will be played Friday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors are hoping the Durant and Thompson will be able to play. Game time will be at 6 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Warriors’ Green looked as the “quarterback” of the team; A’s look to have a better week on 9-game road trip; plus more

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Photo credit: @nbastats

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 How key has Golden State’s Draymond Green for this Golden State team? He has been called the quarterback of the team.

#2 Green was called for a foul on the Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam. It was Green who said he would stop Siakam after he scored 32 points on Green in Game 1 and got an earful from rapper Drake on the way back to the dressing room after the game.

#3 What happened to the A’s? They’ve lost five straight games after winning 10 straight and are in Anaheim vs. the LA Angels for three straight games the A’s snapped the losing streak with a win over the Angels on Tuesday night.

#4  The Philadelphia Phillies’ Jay Bruce was added to their lineup for some power, but low and behold former San Francisco Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen, who tore his ACL and will be out for the rest of the season. The Phillies, who are in first place by a half game over the Braves, will miss McCutchen’s bat out of the lineup.

#5 Back to basketball, how does Golden State handle the absence of a couple of their key players Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant?

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com